# How to Hedge Solana 24/7 > A short SOL perpetual can reduce the price exposure of spot or staked Solana. Learn to size it, plan around unstaking, and keep margin available through fast market moves. - Canonical: https://www.liquid.trade/learn/how-to-hedge-solana-24-7 - Published: 2026-09-18 - Category: Strategy - Tags: Solana, SOL, Hedging, Perpetuals, 24/7 Trading --- **The direct answer:** Open a short [SOL perpetual on Liquid](https://app.liquid.trade/trade/SOL) against the SOL you own. Short half your SOL amount to hedge 50%, or the same amount to hedge its full price exposure. You can keep the coins, including staked SOL, while reducing the effect of a price decline. The short also reduces your gains if SOL rises. If your coins are staked, keep margin available separately: opening a hedge does not make them withdrawable sooner. ## Why hedge SOL instead of selling it? You can reduce price swings while waiting for stake to deactivate or keep part of your SOL exposure through a volatile period. You choose how much to hedge and when to remove it. If you simply want to hold less SOL permanently, selling some is easier to manage. A hedge adds an ongoing position, funding costs, and margin requirements. ## How much SOL exposure should the hedge cover? Multiply your SOL balance by the percentage you want to hedge. For a liquid staking token, first convert the balance into the amount of SOL it represents. Suppose you own **200 SOL** at a hypothetical price of **$150**, giving $30,000 of exposure. A 50% hedge means a 100 SOL short, initially worth $15,000. A full hedge means a 200 SOL short. | Scenario | 200 SOL holding | 100 SOL short | Combined result | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SOL falls 20% to $120 | −$6,000 | +$3,000 | −$3,000 | | SOL rises 20% to $180 | +$6,000 | −$3,000 | +$3,000 | A 200 SOL short would offset the full $6,000 price move in either direction under the same assumptions. The table is hypothetical, excludes fees, funding, staking rewards, and slippage, and assumes identical spot and perp price changes without liquidation. A $15,000 short funded with $3,000 of collateral starts at about 5x leverage. A 20% rally would cost the short $3,000 before fees, and maintenance-margin requirements would generally trigger liquidation sooner. That amount of collateral would not get the hedge through the rally shown above. ## Can I hedge SOL while it is unstaking? Yes. A SOL short can cover the waiting period while your stake deactivates. [Solana's staking documentation](https://solana.com/staking) explains that stake changes occur at epoch boundaries; you can withdraw once deactivation finishes. Track when you request deactivation, when withdrawal is ready, and whether you will sell or retain the coins afterward. If you sell SOL after withdrawing, reduce the matching short. Leaving a full hedge open after selling the coins turns it into a bet on a further decline. ## What risks remain with liquid staking tokens? A liquid staking token can trade at a discount to native SOL, and its SOL conversion rate can grow with rewards. Check both when sizing and reviewing the hedge. The short reduces SOL price risk. It does not cover a staking token depeg, a smart contract or bridge failure, or validator-related losses. Network disruption can also delay transfers and position management without producing an offsetting gain on the short. ## How do funding and liquidation affect a Solana hedge? Shorts normally receive positive funding and pay negative funding. Rates can change, so budget for payments as well as trading fees, spread, and slippage. See [What Are Funding Rates?](/learn/what-are-funding-rates). Staked SOL gaining value does not fund losses on the short. Keep enough collateral for a rally; liquidation removes the hedge against a later decline. Liquid's SOL market is designed for 24/7 access. Availability varies by location, and outages or thin liquidity can interrupt execution. Read [What Is Liquidation?](/learn/what-is-liquidation) for how margin controls whether the hedge stays open. ## How do I open and manage a SOL hedge on Liquid? 1. Add up your SOL, including SOL represented by staking tokens. Count each holding once. 2. Set the hedge percentage and calculate the corresponding SOL quantity. 3. Open [SOL on Liquid](https://app.liquid.trade/trade/SOL), select short, and enter the amount. 4. Choose collateral for a possible SOL rally, then check funding, fees, and the liquidation level. 5. Monitor margin and unstaking progress. Wait for a transfer to arrive before counting it as collateral. 6. Reduce the short as you sell SOL, or close it when you want full exposure again. If a stop closes it, the hedge ends; the stop's fill price is not guaranteed. [Explore Solana →](/markets/solana) · [Understand crypto shorts →](/learn/how-to-short-crypto)